Movies Like Trying Not To Explode

If you liked Trying Not To Explode (2015), a fantasy and drama movie directed by Dave Dorsey, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Zog (2018)
★ 6.7/10Also fantasy
Zog is a keen young dragon who wants to learn to fly, roar, and breathe fire, so he studies at the Dragon School. He is desperate to impress his teacher and win a golden star, but he is prone to accidents and he has to…
2
The Little Matchgirl (2006)
★ 7.4/10Also drama and fantasy
An animated short based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale about a poor young girl with a burning desire to find comfort and happiness in her life. Desperate to keep warm, the girl lights the matches she sells, and…
3
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019)
★ 8/10Also fantasy
It's been ten years since the dragons moved to the Hidden World, and even though Toothless doesn't live in New Berk anymore, Hiccup continues the holiday traditions he once shared with his best friend. But the Vikings…
4
Pirates of the Caribbean: Tales of the Code: Wedlocked (2011)
★ 6.7/10Also fantasy
Wenches Scarlett and Giselle fix each other up for their wedding, in which they would each marry their groom. Upon realizing that both their grooms were the same man, Jack Sparrow, the two wenches found themselves in…
5
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (2012)
★ 7.4/10Also fantasy
After a hurricane levels his city, a young man wanders into a mysterious library where books literally come to life. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2012.
6
Tuesday (2024)
★ 6.8/10Also fantasy and drama
A mother and her teenage daughter must confront Death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird.
7
Under the Sea: A Descendants Story (2018)
★ 7.1/10Also fantasy
Mal emerges from the shadows of a mystical forest onto a dark coastline where she crosses paths with Dizzy.
8
Girl in the Box (2016)
★ 6.7/10Also drama
The true story of 20-year-old Colleen Stan, a hitchhiking woman abducted by a young couple and held captive for seven years, during which time she's tortured and forced to live as a slave to her captors.
9
Matriculated (2003)
★ 6.6/10Also drama
The human resistance works to convert a sentinel to their side. Part of the Animatrix collection of animated shorts set in the Matrix universe.
10
Nine Days (2021)
★ 6.8/10Also drama and fantasy
A bureaucrat interviews five souls to decide which of them will be given a life on Earth. But he soon faces an existential challenge of his own.
11
Northfork (2003)
★ 6/10Also fantasy and drama
The year is 1955, and a great flood is coming to Northfork, Montana. A new hydroelectric dam is about to be installed in the mountains above the town, ready to submerge the valley in the name of progress. It is the…
12
The Gruffalo's Child (2011)
★ 6.8/10Also fantasy
A follow up to the 2009 animated feature and adapted from the childrens' book by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler. The Gruffalo's child explores the deep dark wood in search of the big bad mouse and meets the Snake…
13
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
★ 6.4/10Also fantasy
When a sprite named Crysta shrinks a human boy, Zak, down to her size, he vows to help the magical fairy folk stop a greedy logging company from destroying their home: the pristine rainforest known as FernGully. Zak…
14
Welcome to Smelliville (2021)
★ 6.7/10Also fantasy
The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom…
15
Doctor Who: The Night of the Doctor (2013)
★ 8/10Also drama
The Doctor struggles to help the only remaining crewmember of a crashing gunship. The people of the planet below offer to save his life, but at a dear cost to the life he's lived for hundreds of years.
16
The Snowman (1982)
★ 7.6/10Also fantasy
A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.
17
Reservoir Dogs (1991)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Short film made with the help of the Sundance Film Institute and serving as a proof-of-concept for the subsequent feature film.
18
The Shepherd (2023)
★ 7/10Also drama and fantasy
On Christmas Eve, a fighter pilot on his way home becomes lost while flying over water and needs a miracle to land safely.
19
Vesper (2022)
★ 6.2/10Also drama and fantasy
After the collapse of Earth's ecosystem, Vesper, a 13-year-old girl struggling to survive with her paralyzed Father, meets a mysterious Woman with a secret that forces Vesper to use her wits, strength and bio-hacking…
20
Mythica: A Quest for Heroes (2014)
★ 5.8/10Also fantasy
Stuck in a life of indentured servitude, Marek dreams of becoming a wizard. When she meets the beautiful priestess Teela in need of help, she offers her assistance and provides a motley troupe. Together they go in…